US and Japan Agree to Build AMRAAM Final Assembly Facility in Japan
The United States and Japan have agreed to set up a final assembly and inspection facility in Japan for the AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced it on 28 October 2026 after meeting US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the ASEAN defense ministers’ meeting in the Philippines. Location, schedule and annual output were not disclosed, so for now this is an agreement in principle, not a working production line.
Last updated: 29 October 2026
What was announced, and what was not
According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, Koizumi described the plan as a final assembly and inspection facility in Japan for the AMRAAM. The Pentagon’s readout did not mention the facility; it said Hegseth welcomed Japan’s efforts to strengthen its defense industrial capacity. Army Recognition reports that the AIM-120 variant to be assembled was not identified.
- Site, construction schedule, industrial workshare and annual output: not disclosed.
- AIM-120 variant (C-8, D-3 or other): not disclosed.
- Japanese company: no name was given in the 28 October announcement.
The missile: what is the AIM-120 AMRAAM?
The Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile is an active-radar-guided, beyond-visual-range weapon built by RTX (Raytheon). Air & Space Forces lists the F-35, F-22, F-15 and F-16 among the US aircraft it arms. Our earlier piece on RTX’s wider munitions ramp-up is here.
Why Mitsubishi Electric keeps coming up
The 28 October announcement named no company. But in an April 28, 2026 press release Mitsubishi Electric said it was advancing talks with industry partners, including RTX’s Raytheon, on Japan’s possible role in AMRAAM production. It cited work on circuit card assembly and a possible later final assembly and check-out (FACO) in Japan, and noted AMRAAM is currently built only in the US. That shows the company is officially involved in the process. It does not confirm who will run the new facility.
Background
- July 2024: the two governments agreed to explore co-production including AMRAAM. Approval took more than two years, partly because of Japan’s limits on exporting or co-producing lethal weapons and the need to protect classified guidance technology (Air & Space Forces).
- January 2025: the US approved a potential sale to Japan of up to 1,200 AIM-120 missiles plus related equipment, valued at up to $3.64 billion (Defense Mirror, citing the DSCA notice). That is a maximum potential package value, not a confirmed order or delivery.
- February 2026: a framework to raise RTX output, with a target of at least 1,900 per year. It is a target, not current output.
- Autumn 2026: a contract worth up to $20.7 billion over five years plus two option years, covering Lots 41-47, with no quantities specified.
Why it matters
Demand for AMRAAM has strained US stocks and factory capacity. Army Recognition notes the announcement does not by itself add to missile inventories: nothing changes on the shelf until a facility is built and running. A final assembly line is also not the whole supply chain; the work Mitsubishi Electric cites is circuit card assembly.
A Turkish counterpart: GÖKDOĞAN
In the same class, Türkiye has GÖKDOĞAN. According to Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır on 28 May 2026 (as relayed by ShiftDelete.Net), GÖKDOĞAN, a beyond-visual-range missile with an active radar seeker and data link, and the short-range BOZDOĞAN, both developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE under the Göktuğ project, completed live-warhead verification and entered serial production. The report says F-16s currently use US-origin AIM-9 and AIM-120 missiles and names KAAN, HÜRJET, ANKA-3 and KIZILELMA as intended platforms; it does not say integration is complete.
| Criterion | AIM-120 AMRAAM | GÖKDOĞAN |
|---|---|---|
| Class | BVR, active radar | BVR, active radar seeker, data link |
| Developer | RTX (Raytheon), US | TÜBİTAK SAGE (Göktuğ project) |
| Status | In production; contract up to $20.7bn | Serial production announced 28 May 2026 |
| Local production | US only today; Japan facility planned | Türkiye; foreign content in subsystems not stated in sources |
| Range | No verified figure used here | Sources conflict (65 km to over 100 km); unverified |
| Quantities | None specified for Japan | Not disclosed |
This is not a performance comparison; there is no verified public data for that. Sources also differ on the producer: ShiftDelete names only TÜBİTAK SAGE, while some compilations list ROKETSAN.
FAQ
Will Japan build the AMRAAM?
A final assembly and inspection facility has been agreed. Full production in Japan has not been announced.
Which aircraft carry the AMRAAM?
Per Air & Space Forces, the US F-35, F-22, F-15 and F-16.
Does Türkiye have an AMRAAM-class missile?
GÖKDOĞAN is in the BVR class and, per Minister Kacır, entered serial production; inventory numbers and performance data are not public.
Sources
- Air & Space Forces Magazine – US and Japan Finalize Agreement for AMRAAM Facility
- Army Recognition – U.S. and Japan Agree on AIM-120 AMRAAM Missile Assembly Facility
- Mitsubishi Electric – basın bülteni, 28 Nisan 2026
- Defense Mirror – DSCA Japonya AMRAAM satışı (Ocak 2025)
- ShiftDelete.Net – GÖKDOĞAN ve BOZDOĞAN seri üretime geçiyor (28 Mayıs 2026)
- TÜBİTAK SAGE – Sistemler
- Envanter Medya – RTX ~70 milyar dolarlık sözleşmeler
